Teachers take on Africa charity trip

Three teachers from Denbighshire recently swapped South Denbighshire for Southern Africa as they embarked on a journey to support children with additional needs in a remote mountain village.

Rachel Costeloe, Tina Hughes, and Kathryn Packer are qualified teachers who work for Denbighshire County Council’s inclusion team and took the 8,000-mile trip from Denbighshire to Lesotho, a landlocked country in Southern Africa earlier this year.

Rachel Costeloe, Tina Hughes, and Kathryn Packer

The three teachers took the trip in their spare time for the ‘One Day’ charity.

As part of a volunteer delegation for charity, the three teachers helped children who are orphaned, some of whom have additional learning needs and require a level of care that is difficult to provide locally without support. During their two weeks, Rachel, Tina, and Kathryn delivered training to a local school and two special schools. They also held an outreach programme for the community, delivering support to those who are vulnerable and those with additional learning needs.

Whilst visiting one of the special schools, they teamed up with the Lesotho Sport and Recreation Commission and provided play and sports activities including some sensory play. 

As Lesotho is twinned with Wales, the team held a cultural day, where the trio held a mini-Eisteddfod which included Dawnsio Gwerin and dancing to Welsh music by the band The Candelas. 

Rachel Costeloe, Additional Learning Needs Advisory Teacher said:

“I truly feel privileged to have been part of this team. I delivered Trauma Training to the teachers in the schools that we visited and to the house parents of the orphans.

I can’t thank my friends and family enough for all the support they have given me.

The whole experience has been life changing and I’m already planning my next trip to Lesotho, and this time I will be taking my daughter with me.”

Tina Hughes, Additional Learning Needs Advisory Teacher said:

“We were fortunate to visit two special schools during our visit, one in Buthe Butha and the other in Leribe.

We worked alongside the Lesotho Sports Academy and some of the international rugby players to promote disability sports sessions.

We also worked alongside teaching staff, delivering training, and sharing techniques on how to develop communication with the use of core boards.”

Kathryn Packer, Behaviour Support Outreach Teacher said:

“I took my knowledge and resources to Lesotho to deliver the 6 Bricks training to the teachers, children, and the house parents.

The games and activities work on memory, motor skills, problem solving, creativity and cognitive flexibility.

It was an amazing experience, a privilege and joy.”

Since returning home, the three colleagues have continued to support the cause from afar, but all three have plans to return to Lesotho in the future, to continue to support the work that is going on there.

Nature nurtures determination for countryside career

A long-standing love of nature has helped drive one man forward into protecting and nurturing Denbighshire’s local trees and plants.

County Voice sits down with our Tree Nursery Assistant Sam Brown to learn how since an early age, protecting nature has fashioned his outdoor career.

Born at Wrexham Maleor hospital, Sam grew up in Acrefair, a little village halfway between Llangollen and Wrexham.

Early memories include a helping hand from his parents for learning about the importance of the outdoors.

He said: “Mum and Dad brought me up to love nature, we used to go to National Trust properties, RSPB reserves, we have Erddig on the doorstep, Chirk Castle, Ty Mawr Country Park. Basically, they brought me up stomping and walking around in wellies most weekends and outside of school…loving nature was instilled in me at an early age.

“I was a junior ranger at Ty Mawr Country Park with Wrexham Council, they basically ran it as a club, I was eight when I started and around 15 when I finished. They ran it after school, so you would get changed from your school uniform, you would get down there in your wellies for four o’clock and they would run activities for you for an hour.”

Sam honed his countryside skills as a junior ranger by tackling mucking out the animals, to pond dipping to surveying butterflies at the park.

“I really got stuck into it, they instilled quite professional values into us, like how to look after the animals, being friendly chatting to people and training as well, such as a river safety course.”

At school Sam coped with a diagnosis of Dyspraxia while studying but his love for nature helped him through.

He explained: “I liked school, but I didn’t get on with the academics, I was always looking out of the window watching the sparrows and the whitetails and the pigeons outside. I was far more interested in that than the lessons.

“But a few teachers, one of them Miss Mills, my science teacher tapped into that once. When everybody else was doing another science practical she sent me and my friends out to do a bird survey on the school fields. She also ran an after-school gardening club where I got to do all sorts of things.”

Options weighed on Sam’s mind following school after he pondered the choice of a career in Mechanics or Marine Biology which had always been on his mind since a youngster, but the love of nature and the countryside always remained a driving force in the background.

“I was also a bit of a petrol head, really into engineering and cars but I couldn’t do maths very well and that took me off the engineering track because I knew I found it difficult.”

However, nature remained by his side and Sam admits the steps into the career he enjoys today happened quickly.

He explained: “We were just flicking through courses at Coleg Cambria and found a course at Llysfasi College which was Countryside Management and Conservation and Forestry was another option for me as well.”

Sam took part in an open day at the college doing some work and found he loved the activity involved. Joining the Level 2 stage of the course he spent three years at the college working through to achieve Level 3.

“I met some really good people that I'm still in touch with now. Even now sometimes I work with some of them as well. And yes I really, really enjoyed my time at the college. My tutors were really inspiring, really helpful.

One of his tutors was a botanist and helped Sam develop his knowledge of plants and another gave him the skills to work practically out in the countryside.

“When I finished College, I was in two minds as to whether to go to university, I felt I was too young even though most people went at my age… I didn’t feel very ready to move away from home.”

Sam admits he tussled with the idea of going to Aberystwyth University or Liverpool John Moores to study Marine Biology but the continuing call of the nature of the countryside gave him an opportunity that he has never looked back from.

“I ended up going to a job interview for a countryside ranger in the Dee Valley team, I didn’t get that job, but they put me on the relief ranger list. I’d do a day with them here and there, the busy seasons, tree planting, things like that, so I got a good bit of experience with them.

“I know my love was the land, the people on the land and the things on the land. I discovered I loved trees; with my Dyspraxia you do sometimes get fixated with things. I was able to memorise all the native tree species straight away and I got really good at wildflowers as well. From a young age it’s always been there in the back of my head what I really wanted to do.”

Faith is also important to Sam who is a Christian and to him, nature together with his beliefs is a big driver for his commitment and work.

“I’m really passionate about nature…I’m a Christian, I believe God created nature and it deserve respect, the animals…the plants. It’s an amazing resource for our spiritual health, our actual health, we need to recognise that and that the Earth is a precious resource, and I want to look after it.”

Becoming a passionate gardener since leaving college growing plants at home, Sam admits his happy place is in his garden.

Sam also experienced time caring for an under-threat bird at the Little Terns colony at Gronant Dunes as a warden.

“I enjoyed my time with the Little Terns. I loved looking after them, they were lovely animals.”

Following his warden duties, Sam got his current Tree Nursery Assistant role in September 2023 and has been using his skills to boost the county’s local plant and tree population ever since.

“I've been absolutely loving it. Having the opportunity to put all my skills to use here and enjoy making a positive difference to something so close to my heart is so worth it.”

And his tips for anyone wishing to follow in his footsteps?

Sam added: “What you need to do is you just need to volunteer wherever you can. No matter where you are in the country, you're going to have a local Wildlife Trust, you'll have a National Trust property nearby and you'll have a local council countryside service which may do volunteering.

“Also, when you volunteer…its showing a willingness to volunteer. I learnt a lot from volunteering. I'd say more so than any other part of my education. So volunteering is important and of course… just having that determination to keep going.”  

Hill range designation shapes career memories for outdoor enthusiast

In the summer of 1985, a striking running landmark holding court above the Vale of Clwyd received a very special designation.

The Clwydian Range was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (now known as National Landscapes) helping conserve its diverse and varied landscape capped by the famous Jubilee Tower on the top of Moel Famau.

Initially guided by a small team based at Loggerheads Country Park, its team has grown to adapt to managing the addition of the Dee Valley in 2011 to the designation.

On the eve of the Clwydian Range AONB 40th anniversary we speak to Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape Lead Officer Howard Sutcliffe who was part of the original team tasked with taking the important designation forward.

Born and bred in Blackpool Howard’s journey towards providing a helping hand to the countryside started thanks to his sister’s life choices.

He explained: “My mum and dad had shops on Blackpool sea front, selling everything from Kiss Me Quick hats to postcards. My Dad also was a wholesale bookseller and we had a news agents on North Pier.

“The biggest thing that probably happened to us was my sister getting married to a farmer in Gloucestershire, I spent most of my summer and Easter holidays there. It gave me an interest in the countryside, that’s where I started picking things up.

Howard nearly dabbled his feet in an agriculture college following the taste of farm life but decided last minute to opt for a Joint Degree in Geography and History.

“Within that there was a Biodiversity course that was interesting at the time. We did lots of studies in the North West, I’ve always had a fondness for the Lake District, the Forest of Bowland and Arnside and Silverdale are my sort of areas I would explore at with Mum and Dad.”

Completing a couple of seasonal posts with the Lake District National Park, and a period as a gas pipeline inspector, Howard stated to gravitate towards the Clwydian Range after working with Chester County Council at Delemere Forest.

He explained: “I came across (to Loggerheads) to be the AONB Warden at the time, we call them rangers now, that was back in 1986.

“Back in the day it was sort of looking for projects and it was always backed by what is now Natural Resources Wales. We had Loggerheads and Moel Famau which was an extensive site at 2,500 acres but the main projects in those early days were communities and also re waymarking the Offa’s Dyke National Trail.

“From that we looked at rights of way out from Loggerheads and Moel Famau, trying to work on recreation and access as that was the focus of governments at the time for getting people out and about."

As with natures constant growth, so did the warden’s role as the designation opened up more opportunities for him to progress his career.

Howard said: “In the early days I was very much a practical sort of person, getting out working with volunteers and landowners. They were always really good. I still see some of the farmers and volunteers that I worked with in the early days and they still have that sort of rapport which is great.

“At first I didn’t want to go up I enjoyed the practical stuff and going out, I appreciated having my Land Rover, tools and trailers and doing that sort of thing all day.

“But with the world changing we had contractors coming in, we've always been very lucky in the countryside service, that you know we've always had granted coming in so there's always been extra income coming in from outside from various bodies to help with the world needed, enabling myself to take on other opportunities that came up in the organisation.”

Supporting community councils with green spaces, helping acquire more land to project and grow local nature, creating circular walks to name a few have helped Howard diversify in his career.

“Having the land portfolio gives you the ability to act, if you own the land it is a game changer,” he explained.

“I think things like the countryside and Rights of way act that that created open access to various places, you can now walk up certain places with the freedom to know you are not trespassing.”

For youngsters who are fond of the countryside and maybe thinking about treading the path covered by rangers over the years all over the Clwydians, Howard gives this sage advice.

“It's a simple piece of advice, stay in education as long as you can. I just stayed there till I got a degree and having a degree help me sort of look for other things. I think education is key to it all really you can have the passion and the Hobbies outside and bird watching or walking, having that degree is really good.

“There's lots of various other things alongside that whether you're a member of an Army Cadet Unit, or a scout or an explorer.  All those little add-on bits are really helpful to show that you're a person who wants to achieve stuff and to an extent, also loves the outdoors.”

Remembering the years with the Clwydian hills in his sights, Howard mused: “There’s various highlights, I can remember going after the interview and walking down the trail there at Loggerheads. I can remember walking down by the river and thinking wow if I was able to manage this it would be fantastic.

“Ultimately, it’s a landscape that’s absolutely varied and, you know…you just grow to love it really.”

Where does your food waste go?

What’s just over 600 adult African male elephants got to do with food recycling in the county?

Well, that’s the weight of food waste sent off for recycling thanks to the effort of residents from April 2024 to March 2025.

To put it into another perspective, the amount bagged and recycled by Denbighshire communities during this period is equivalent to seven fully loaded Airbus A380 airplanes standing side by side with three maximum weight capacity A320 aircrafts.

Residents recycled 4,204 tonnes for the period, an actual increase of 588 tonnes of food waste from 2024 to 2025.

That’s collected from over 47,000 properties and included in approximately 73,000 collections per week across all waste streams in the county.

Waste collected in the special biodegradable bags supplied by us included items from household kitchens and dinner tables such as

• Used teabags
• Coffee grounds
• Eggshells
• Fruit
• Vegetable peelings
• Raw and cooked meat and fish, including bones
• Plate scrapings or leftovers that can’t be safely stored to eat later
• Food that’s no longer safe to eat

And thanks to everyone’s efforts, these items by not filling out valuable landfill space are supporting our communities.

Collected at our Waste Station at Denbigh, all food recycling bags are taken to a plant facility run by Biogen near Rhuallt.

The food waste goes through a process called Anaerobic digestion which helps to produce biogas and biofertilizer. This happens in a sealed, oxygen-free tank called an anaerobic digester.

Biogas at the plant is captured and used to power efficient gas engines producing renewable electricity to support the grid. This also helps tackle climate change as gas given off by the food is trapped in a controlled environment instead of left to build over open air landfills.

The remaining biofertiliser is put back to the land to grow more crop to produce more food for the family table.

Thanking residents for their food recycling efforts, Councillor Barry Mellor, Lead Member for the Environment, Highways and Transport, said: “Our residents have always been the best at recycling food but this is a monumental effort by them which goes a long way to making a positive difference our environment. Everyone who has scraped their plates into the caddies can be proud of themselves for helping put some positives back into our environment by supporting the recycling process all of our food waste goes through.”

To find out more about recycling in Denbighshire please visit this link https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/bins-and-recycling/bins-recycling.aspx

Discover Rhyl’s nature gems

Did you know there are a number of nature spots across Rhyl where you can put your best foot forward to explore?

From the coast to the town there are areas full of blossoming wildlife and sights to discover that can provide you also with a great drop of physical activity.

County Voice takes you on a whistle stop tour around what nature areas Rhyl has to offer.

In the east of Rhyl nestles a young nature reserve in easy reach of the local community. Maes Gwilym Nature Reserve was created as part of the Council's Woodland creation project. There’s over 2,500 trees growing at the site and the existing woodland was enhanced to improve the habitat for nature.

Paths that will take you into the reserve were constructed using recycled material and finished with limestone dust.

A special sight at Maes Gwiliym nature reserve is the wetland area containing an Ephemeral wildlife pond, which is designed to hold a low level of water providing a great habitat for many species.

You can also stop off at the bird hide on the site enabling visitors to enjoy the local wildlife in the area which includes several red and amber listed bird species.

Hedgerows planted are growing strong at the site alongside colourful wildflower meadows. Walking around you can take advantage of seating areas introduced in the area.

Hedgerows were also planted alongside encouraging existing and new areas for wildflower meadows. Seating areas were introduced and damaged fencing and gates were replaced.

A short hop up the road is the new Llys Brenig Community Nature Space, nestled in the Pak View Estate. Created in 2024, 1,885 trees were planted on site along with the creation of a pond and wetland area to support local wildlife, installation of new fences around the pond and around the site boundary, and, to allow local residents to connect with nature on their doorstep, construction of footpaths and installation of benches.

It’s a great small area to visit on a sunny day, you might catch a sight or two of the feathered friends that have taken up home in the ponds on the site.

Bruton Park Nature Reserve offers a good chance to stretch your legs around a circle route or exploring paths cutting through the lands while enjoying great views of the Clwydian Range.

You will find a diverse landscape of woodland, hedgerows, wildflower meadows and even fruit trees while exploring this great gem and alongside the varied plant and trees, keep an eye out for the many local wildlife members.

Another great circular walk to sample nature can be found by visiting Brickfield Pond Nature Reserve.

Countryside rangers and volunteers supported by Nature for Health have carried out work that has seen a community orchard and pond opened up with a new path and bridge leading to this site in the quit corner of the reserve.

The team has carried out improvements to the walkways, removal of dead trees and the tidying up of the viewpoints around the main waters.

And you could catch site of a rare UK mammal whilst walking as areas have also been improved around the nature reserve to encourage more water voles to make their home at the site.

This summer more colour will be on offer around the in the area next to the cycle path leading into the nature reserve from the Ysgol Tir Morfa side.

During autumn and winter, work has taken place to clear bramble. Dead trees were removed to allow more light into the area to support the surviving nature, new spindle and lime trees were planted and a mix of yellow rattle, red bartsia and woodland wild flower mix seeds were sown to support pollinators.

Best of all to soak up the sights of the wildlife on the waters new viewpoints have been opened up along the circular route, some including newly created hazel hurdles as fencing, allowing visitors the time to stop and take in life on Brickfield Pond.

Take your EV around Denbighshire’s attractions

Spring and summer days are upon us, providing the perfect opportunity through more daylight to explore the best that Denbighshire has to offer.

Travelling by vehicle in modern times has seen the addition of hybrid engines and electric powered motors to help get you to locations with less impact on our climate.

Since the first Council Public Electric Vehicles (EV) chargers went live in summer 2022 over 1.5million miles of travelling have been provided through more than 22,000 charging sessions.

For all local EV owners and those further afield, County Voice takes you on a whistle stop tour of where the Council’s own public charging EV stations are there to help you plan your trip around the county to see the sights.

The public network provides a great opportunity to travel around Denbighshire to sample the many attractions the county has to offer while charging your vehicle at one of the sites.

Want to check out bygone travel at Llangollen Railway? You can kick off your experience at Corwen’s Green Lane car park next to the town’s station have five operational EV chargers which you can plug into, enjoy the trip to yesteryear up and down the line and sample Corwen and Llangollen towns whilst your car is topped up.

Coming at the railway from Llangollen, chargers are available at Market Street car park and also the Pavilion car park. These handy locations also give you time around Llangollen to check out attractions such as the Llangollen Wharf, a hike up to Dinas Bran or just to enjoy the sites of the River Dee running through the town.

Jumping in your car and moving up to Ruthin , you can find EV chargers at Cae Ddol car parkm which puts you in stepping distance of learning all about the Ruthin Gaol, And a five minute walk can take you to another historic location in the form of Nant Clwyd y Dre.

But if you are interested in arts and crafts, public charging facilities are also available at Ruthin Craft Centre to allow you to browse the delights on offer at the site while putting charge into your car for your next trip.

Heading to Denbigh, the town’s Post Office Lane provides chargers, giving you the perfect chance to check out the remains of Denbigh Castle which is still standing proudly overlooking the town.

A short hop to St Asaph takes you to the Bowling Green car park at the city which is the perfect starting point to enjoy a scenic walk along the River Elwy or check out the stunning architecture of St Asaph Cathedral.

Travelling to the coast, Rhyl has the perfect place to top up and charge, West Kinmel car park has a number of chargers including rapid facilities for a quick boost. From here you can take a walk through the centre of town to the prom to enjoy Rhyl’s golden sands, or check out the harbour area and Marine Lake complete with the world’s oldest smallest railway. Charging facilities are also available at Morley Road car park.

And a final trip into Prestatyn can find you chargers (including rapids) at Fern Avenue and Kings Avenue car parks, allowing you time to enjoy Prestatyn’s town centre or if feeling brave take a walk down to the seafront to enjoy the attractions awaiting you.

The EV public network is a part the Council’s overall action to tackle climate change following the declaration of a Climate and Ecological Emergency in 2019 by reducing the county’s carbon footprint.

To check out more information on these locations visit our website.

Explore a Rhuddlan gem

Warmer days are giving bloom to nature all across the county and there are plenty of great places to visit with the family to experience this first hand.

Nestled in Rhuddlan is an area, full of life and nature to experience for all ages with fantastic views of Rhuddlan Castle as an extra.

County Voice takes you around Rhuddlan Nature Reserve, a bustling land full of wildlife and wonder thanks to a great community partnership.

Countryside staff have worked closely since 2011 with the Rhuddlan Reserve Management Advisory Group to protect and develop the land situated next to the Rhuddlan to St Asaph main road.

On entering the small car parking area opposite the entrance road to Aldi at the traffic lights, you can swiftly access the nature reserve on foot. A main path which is shared with cyclists takes you through the heart of the nature reserve but there are smaller side paths to enjoy.

The first branch you can find on your right down some steps takes you through a tree lined area through to the waters of the reserve, where if you are lucky you can watch swans, ducks or even herons enjoying the area from a wooden platform overlooking the water.

Meandering back down the main path you can discover the initiatives the partnership has brought to life over the years for the Rhuddlan community and visitors.

Small paths give you the opportunity to experience walking through two wildflower meadows, full of vibrant colour and varied flowers, all helping support the reserve’s local wildlife.

Altogether at the site there are three wildlife ponds teaming full of life and over 300 metres of hedgerow providing an important habitat for many animals.

Walking through you might also notice over 6,000 trees swaying in the breeze as you move, all planted by the partnership, alongside a heritage species orchard.

Pick a sunny day to visit and you have two picnic areas at the nature reserve to unwind in and to catch a glimpse of the wildlife enjoying the area as well.

Choose the right time of the summer to go and there is also a perfect area to enjoy for those fascinated by insect life. The reserve has its own dipping pond where you can catch a glimpse of the busy life of dragon flies.

A unique feature of the nature reserve is the Sensory Garden which involved the local Dementia Group and the nature reserve group working with Countryside staff. Together they created a Dementia friendly space with sensory, trees, wildflowers and historic landscape features such as dry-stone walls and laid hedges, complete with traditional welsh oak timber seating to sit on and experience the area.

The nature reserve has won a number of Wales in Bloom awards and is fully accessible for all.

Adoption of the specially designed reserve by local wildlife has exceeded all expectations and which includes iconic species such as otters and water voles and which happen to be some of the more rapidly declining mammals in the UK.

Councillor Julie Matthews welcomes the new look County Voice

As we launch the new look e-newsletter for residents, County Voice had a chat with Cllr Julie Matthews, Deputy Leader of the Council and and Lead member for Corporate Strategy, Policy, Equalities and Strategic Assets

What are your responsibilities as Cabinet Lead Member?

My role is all about the overall performance and running of the Council. I suppose that a lot of the corporate side is what people don’t see, for example HR, health and safety, legal and democratic services, procurement, ICT, communications and asset management. But without all of these services, in reality, the Council itself wouldn’t be able to operate.

As well as these internal council services, I’m also responsible for the wellbeing and future generations act, equality and diversity, training and development for Council members and I’m the Armed Services Champion.

One of the things I’m most passionate about is equality and diversity as this is my professional background. I used to work for a gender equality charity before I became a Councillor, so this is particularly important to me. The charity was all about development opportunities for women to ensure they could get into leadership roles and giving them confidence in themselves to achieve.

Prior to that, I worked at the benefits agency in Rhyl and became a Union representative. As part of that role, I used to train staff which subsequently led me into the field of adult education. I ended up being a programme manager in a college in Solihull looking after management, professional and trade union studies.

What made you become a Councillor?

Like lots of people, during Covid we experienced quite a difficult time. I became a carer for my mum after we lost my younger brother who had been living with her. As a result, we needed a lot of extra support, but this was at a time when it proved challenging to secure.

Having had first-hand experience of council services made me think about how important it is that public services are not only high quality but also accessible and serve the needs of the community.

Looking back, it was a very frustrating time and from our experience, it could have been better. At least my mum had us, but it made me think about what happens to people who don’t have that level of support.

And that’s why I decided to become a Councillor. I could have just sat back, but it was important to do something to try to make a difference and give everyone a chance to live the best life they can.

It’s a difficult role, and you can become quite defensive when you see negative things in the press because you come into this role to make a difference and to try help as many people as possible.

I do think it would be a great experience for anyone. As a councillor, clearly, we’re responsible for holding people to account, but what we also see is the work that staff do and how much they care about what they do – it is an eye opener.

What do you love about Denbighshire?

Sometimes you don’t realise how much you like a place until you move. And that’s what happened to me when I went to Solihull. Luckily, with a teaching job, I could come back to stay frequently with my mum and I kept in touch with all my friends.

I think the people in Denbighshire are great and as a location, it’s so much calmer and quieter than the city. We’re so fortunate – we have fabulous beaches but we can also be in the middle of the countryside within half an hour. We’ve got this amazing scenery on our doorstep – which is something we can sometimes take for granted.

When I was made redundant in Solihull, I know I could have found another job there, but I didn’t even think about staying – I wanted to come home.

What’s coming up in the Council that you’re looking forward to?

I’m really looking forward to the opening of Queen’s Market in Rhyl – it’s been a long time coming, but I’m certain it’s going to be worth the wait. We had a tour recently and it’s looking great. Hopefully this will be the catalyst for further investment in Rhyl – which has always been a driver for the regeneration work the Council has been doing.

Elsewhere in the County we’ve seen the completion of a lot of successful projects. It was great to attend an event last year in Corwen to celebrate the completion of a range of regeneration projects. Also in Corwen, the Nature for Health Clawdd Poncen pump track was opened and has proved immensly popular with young people in the area while other improvements include a community growing space, a path around the field, new benches and goalposts which make it easier for residents to enjoy the space.

Meanwhile in Llangollen, the Four Great Highways project was completed last year with a range of works to improve the resident and visitor experience and encourage people to spend more time there.

In Ruthin the first all-inclusive accessibility playground of its kind in North Wales was opened in Cae Ddol with environmentally friendly equipment designed with children of all abilities in mind. Additionally, the project also included the installation of an additional junior play area next to the skate park. Also in Ruthin the Clock Tower restoration was completed in December.

While the Council can do a lot, it can’t do everything and inward investment is what’s needed - we need to get businesses throughout the county behind initiatives like Transforming Towns – there’s money there to help them to develop and improve our town centres.

 Tell us about the new-look County Voice

The very first edition of County Voice was distributed as a hard copy over 20 years ago in the summer of 2002 and it’s been our resident newsletter ever since. The digital version was launched in 2015 so it seems fitting that 10 years later, we’re having a refresh.

The aim of the new e-newsletter is to provide up to date daily news from the Council. You can subscribe to receive a monthly newsletter but you can also dip in and out on a daily basis to find out the latest news. As well as information about what’s going on, we’ll have feature articles shining a spotlight on different areas of work as well as video clips and interviews with staff and Members.

I’m really looking forward to hearing people’s feedback and we hope that you’ll find it informative. Remember - if you want the latest and most reliable information about what’s going on in the Council you can subscribe via the website.

Naturalist wonders help Surf and Protect nature

Across the county work is ongoing to roll back the tides of man-made and climate change impact on our nature and environment. And a South African born surfing enthusiast and passionate friend of the natural world is leading the charge to give Denbighshire wildlife hope again.

County Voice sits down with Senior Biodiversity Officer Liam Blazey to find out what fuels the passion to dig deep to support the nature we have across our county.

Born and raised on the South African east coast, Liam admits his early experiences with the natural world was influenced by his father who was a passionate naturalist himself.

He explained: “That really imprinted on me, when I was young with him and all the hiking and camping that we used to do outdoors. Then in my early teens I picked up surfing and spent lots of time out in the water surfing, I was very fortunate be in an area that’s one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, surrounded by amazing wildlife.” 

A unique encounter with a smaller animal helped really cement in Liam’s eyes how diverse and wonderful the natural world can be.

“I learnt to appreciate animals in a different way after an encounter with some Hermit crabs. We lived on an estuary adjoining the ocean and sometimes we saw the crabs battling each other for each other’s shells.

“After a while you noticed that the bigger ones didn’t always win, the smaller ones were more aggressive. Once they had their opponents shell they would climb into it to check if it fit. If it didn’t, they would fill it with sand to make it smaller on the inside. If it ended up being too small, they would empty some sand out. This was all done by rotating the shell either clockwise or anticlockwise. They were incredibly precise in their actions, it was fascinating!

He added: “Watching them made me realise there is a much deeper level to what we see. It made me realise from a young age that every single thing that lives on this planet has an interesting little life and the more you look at it, the more fascinating they get. Every single species.

The wonders of the natural world stayed with Liam from his early teens, through jobs including working as a Silversmith and selling electronics until he gravitated to training in Biodiversity during his early 30s, never looking back since.

Following this the UK tides then called for the surfing enthusiast who also honed skills for shaping boards.

Liam explained: “I used to re-shape old broken surfboards back home and was planning on going to Japan to try set myself up making surfboards, but I couldn't speak Japanese, so I thought my English isn't too bad... I ended up in Dorset and I was just taken with the people of the country, that's where I met my wife.

Graduating as a Doctor, Liam’s wife had her first placement up in North Wales and the couple embraced the natural world of Eryri ( Snowdonia) before Liam moved into supporting nature across Denbighshire.

On his move to his current post, Liam said: “This has been the best job I've ever had. It's been something I've wanted to do my whole life and being able to enhance nature in an area where my children are going to grow up, I’m thankful to be given the opportunity to do it.”

Protecting our nature from the impacts of global climate change has become more important in the modern world with many people stepping up to try and make a difference as Liam has.

Looking back on his career so far, Liam said: “Just do it, it doesn't matter if you are in your  30s 40s, or even your 50s, you can change your career path. I can't recommend it enough, you know, it's been the best thing that I've ever done. The job satisfaction is really high.

He added: “I might smell like mushrooms and come home with weird insects crawling on me but its worth it. I have two children I take out with me and to see the joy in the eyes when I can take them to a meadow that we've created from scratch, you know? It's really special, so I would say go for it!”